Oval swimming pool



Nov. 12, 1968 J. BILLIG ET AL OVAL SWIMMING POOL Filed June 23, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS JULES BILLIG Y ROBERT SCHLEEWEISS Q 4? a W ATTORNEYS Nov. 12, 1968 J. BILLIG ET AL 3,409,916

OVAL SWIMMING POOL Filed June 23, 1965 FIG. 3

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 JULES BILLIG BY ROBERT SCHLEEWEISS ATTORNEYS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 "520,7 zarnzaarzzazt J. BILLIG ET AL OVAL SWIMMING POOL Nov. 12, 1968 Filed June 23, 1965 United States Patent ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An above ground swimming pool having an oval shape with opposing straight side walls joined by curved ends which is easily erectable and has the required structural strength provided by vertical support members along the straight side walls and the straps joining opposing vertical support mmebers.

This invention is concerned with the construction of swimming pools of the type which can be erected for use above ground. The novel features of construction herein disclosed are especially related to the purposes of facilitating erection and the structural strengthening of the pool structure.

Pools of the type illustrated in the drawings are relatively large and capable of holding thousands of gallons of water.

As a further indication of the importance of these structural features, it is within the intent of this invention to construct pools in accordance therewith that can be described as generally oval in that their longitudinal length is very substantially greater than their transverse width. For example, a pool in accordance with this invention can be constructed having a length of 30', a width of 15 and a depth of 4'.

It can, therefore, be said that the general object of this invention is to provide an above ground, easily erectable swimming pool capable of withstanding the pressures developed by their water content when they have a substantial length in relation to their width.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a structure for an oval swimming pool, including built in members for preventing the spreading and tilting of the walls of the pool under the pressure of its water content.

Other and more detailed objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In those drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a pool structure in accordance with this invention, showing some parts in cross section and some parts broken away for better illustrative purposes;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of a typical section of the top rail;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged side elevational view illustrating the details of construction of one of the reinforcing columns which connect the top and bottom rails together with some parts in cross section;

FIGURE 7 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIGURE 8 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 88 of FIG. 6; and

FIGURE 9 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of FIG. 6.

As illustrated in FIGURE 1, the pool enclosure is generally oval and particularly consists of a pair of fiat sides connected at the ends by curved walls, in this case of semicircular form. The result is that the pool is substantially longer than it is wide and, hence, structurally requires members for preventing the outward spread of the straight sides under water pressure and the tendency of those sides to tilt. Thus, as illustrated, a series of tie strips which act as tension bars extend transversely of the length of the pool. These strips are shown at 10 and are long enough so as to project beyond each side of the pool. Mounted on the strips, but spaced inwardly of the ends thereof, are abutments 10b of any suitable form. As illustrated they may be of triangular cross section and welded to the upper faces of the strips but spaced inwardly of their ends. The ends 10a of the strips are bent upwardly so as to incline toward the center .of the strips, see particularly FIG. 2. A series of these strips are laid on the earth E in spaced parallel relation, see FIG. 1, so that their overall arrangement coincides with the length of the flat sides of the structure. The ends of the strips are preferably rested upon suitable supports, such as the plates 12, which may be partially buried in the earth so that the strips lie level, see FIG. 2. For protective purposes, it is preferable that the strips 10, which are most suitably of metal be protected against corrosion and, hence, they are enclosed within strips 14 of suitable material, such as a plastic. The application of the protective strips 14 to the tie strips 10 is apparent from FIG. 4, the strips 14 being of such dimensions as to entirely surround the strips 10 and of such length as to extend completely between the spaced plates 12 which, of course, are arranged on each side of the pool structure.

Positioned between the abutments 10b adjacent the ends of each of the tie strips 10 is a rail 16 having the shape of the pool structure. A similar rail 18 of the same dimensions lies in a plane parallel to the rail 16 and above it, as shown in FIG. 1.

The rails 16 and 18 are built up of a series of sections of nested tubes. These sections are straight at the straight sides and curved at the ends. A typical section of rail in this case for the straight portion is shown in FIG. 5 for the rail 18. Each rail is built up of a series of short lengths of outer tubing 18b and short lengths of inner tubing 18a. These tubes 18a and 18b are dimensioned so as to have a snug sliding fit, see for example FIG. 8, and each tube is slit longitudinally along its wall. The composite rail 18 is built up by inserting the small tubes 18a in the large tubes 18b so as to be in overlapping relationship, as illustrated in FIG. 5. Circumferentially the nested tubes are aligned so that their slits coincide. The curved sections of the rail 18 are similarly built up, but in this case the tube sections are curved. Exactly the same construction is provided for the bottom rail 16, whereas, illustrated for example in FIG. 9, the larger outer tube is at 16b and the smaller inner tube is at 16a. These tubes are likewise longitudinally slit and when assembled their slits are mated. Thus, when the top and bottom rails 18 and 16 are fully assembled there is an open slot extending completely around their periphery.

A series of generally K-shaped brackets are positioned in spaced relation along the flat sides of the pool structure and connected to the bottom rail 16, see FIG. 2. These brackets, as shown, are formed from a single piece of tubing having a straight central section 2041, an outwardly inclined section 20b, a'horizontal section 200, an inwardly inclined section 20d, and an outwardly inclined section 20e. The sections 20d and 202 are positioned so that in the area of their apex they contact the vertical section 20a and can be secured thereto in any suitable manner as by welding. The lower end of the section 20e telescopes over the end 10a of the cooperating tie strip 10. The lower end of the tubular section 20a is flattened and formed to'encircle the rail 16 as shown at 20 The terminal end of the flattened section is bent inwardly at 20g and projects into the rail 16.

In the assembled structure the brackets 20 are provided with cover plates 22, as shown in FIG. 1, to form seats. These plates can either rest on the brackets or be attached to them by bolts or welding, if preferred.

The side enclosure for the pool is formed from a continuous metal band 24 which is relatively thin walled and can be made of any suitable metal, as, for example, steel or aluminum. If desired, the sheet forming the wall can be corrugated, with the corrugations running at right angles to the length of the sheet, that is vertically when the pool is erected. The lower rail 16, when positioned between the abutments 10b with its continuous slot facing upwardly as previously explained, receives the lower edge of the wall strip 24, see FIG. 2. The lower edge of the wall is preferably protected by a channel-shaped strip 24a of suitable material, such as a plastic, which extends all around the periphery of the lower edge of the wall. Positioned between the wall 24 and each of the brackets 20 are the protective strips 34 of some suitable rigid material, such as heavy sheet metals which provides an additional contact area between the column 20a and the pool wall 24. The lower end of the strips 34 is forced into the slot of the lower rail, as shown in FIG. 2. The strips 26 hold down the wall against tendency of wall to lift along its straight sides. As should be clear the pressure of the water at the bottom of the pool acts to push the bottom wall and the lower rail 16 outwardly and upwardly. This force is generally considered to be a lifting force. As shown in FIG. 1, reinforcing strips 26 and 28 have their edges also inserted in the slots of the lower rail 16 at its straight portions, see FIG. 1. The strips 28 extend upwardly and overlie the adjacent face of the wall 24 to provide additional reinforcement for the bottom of the pool wall 24 while the strips 26 lie horizontal and rest upon the tie strips 10 held down by the weight of the water. The pressure of the water acting downwardly on the strip 26 which is connected to the lower rail 16, provides a downwardly acting force which prevents the lower rail 16 from lifting. As seen in FIG. 1, the hold-down strip 26 is provided along the flat side walls of the pool where the lifting force is produced. These strips keep the bottom of the pool from lifting. The reinforcing strips 26 and 28 can be of sheet steel or aluminum, for example, and can thus be easily positioned as described. In erecting the pool it is preferable to form a bank of earth 30 all around its periphery at its lower corner, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, to prevent ballooning of plastic liner 32 under the wall 24.

The pool liner 32, which is most commonly of sheet 1 plastic extends downwardly along the face of the side wall 24 over the band of earth 30 at the lower corner across the bottom of the pool, so as to rest on the protecting tie strips 10, see FIG. 1, and then over the band of earth 30 at the other edge and up the inner face of the opposite wall 24.

The upper peripheral edge of the liner 32 is folded over the top edge of the side wall 24, as indicated at 32a, see FIG. 2. However, before this edge is thus folded over the upper edge is protected by a plastic channel strip 240:, which encloses the upper edge of the wall 24. The upper edge thus assembled is then, in turn enclosed in a heavier U-shaped channel 36 of suitable material, such as plastic or rubber. As assembled, the upper periphery of the wall, including the liner, is then enclosed by the top rail 18, in which case, as previously described, the telescoped slotted sections 18a and 18b have their slots aligned for this purpose.

From the above description it will be seen that the top and bottom rails 18 and 16 are associated with the brackets along the flat sides of the structure.

At the curved ends of the structure the top and bottom rails are interconnected by means of reinforcing columns 44. These columns 44 are semicircular in shape, see FIG. 7, with their free edges 44a inturned on its diameter. The upper end of each column 44 is connected to the upper rail 18 by means of a fixture 42, which consists of a circular section 42a surrounding the rail 18, and an integral depending section 420 having an abutment 42d on its outer face. Thus, the upper end of the column 44 can be slipped over the section 420 into contact with the abutment 42d as shown in FIG. 8. The circular section 42a is engaged with the rail when it is being assembled so that the rail sections can be threaded through it. To facilitate this assembly the circular section 42a, see FIG. 6, has an axial extension 42b of lesser diameter. More specifically, the section 42a receives the end of the larger section 181; which abuts the shoulder between the sections 42a and 42b. The related inner tubular sections 18a are nested so as to telescope with the section 42b and the related section 18b pushed over the tube 18a abuts against the end of the reduced section 42]) which has the same inner diameter as the pipe section 18a and the same outer diameter as the related pipe section 1825.

The lower end of the column 44 is attached to the lower rail 1.6 by means of the fixture 40. This fixture has a depending flat fin 40a which is inserted in the slot in the rail 16 and an upwardly extending semi-circular section 40b which nests in the lower end of the panel 14. This fixture has the abutment 400 to properly position the lower end of the panel 44, all as shown in FIG. 9. There are a series of these columns 44 spaced around the curved ends of the pool structure, as clearly indicated in FIG. 1.

From the above description it should be apparent that the pool structure of this invention is composed of a series of simple mechanical elements which can be readily assembled practically without the need of any tools to form the finished pool. As constructed this pool is well braced against the lateral forces resulting from the weight of the water which it contains. The tie strips 10 prevent spreading of the pool walls along its straight sides. The brackets 20 support the flat walls of the pool and brace them against outwardly acting tilting forces, also resulting from the weight of the contained water. The ends of the pool being semicircular have naturally the best geometrical form to resist these same forces. Thus, it is possible to construct pools of substantial size which are entirely practical and adequately strong for the intended purposes, using steel tubing and fixtures.

Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that some of the details of construction herein illustrated are capable of variation without departure from the novel combinations and functions herein disclosed. It is desired, therefore, that the particular embodiment selected for illustrative purposes be accepted in that intent and that the scope of protection aiforded hereby be determined by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In above ground oval swimming pool for holding fluid comprising a first vertical wall member being at least partially rigid in the vertical direction forming a peripheral barrier having a pair of opposing flat side walls and curved ends, a flexible liner attached to said wall forming fluid proof side and bottom walls for the pool, a plurality of spaced reinforcing columns adjacent said flat walls for holding the walls substantially vertical against the pressure of fluid contained in the pool, a tie strap extending across the pool connecting a pair of reinforcing columns of the opposing flat walls, and a hold down strip at the bottom of the pool extending along at least one of the flat side walls, and means for operating said hold down strip in conjunction with the fiat side wall and in response to the water pressure on said hold down strip to counteract lifting forces produced by the contained fluid acting against a bottom portion of the flat side wall.

2. The swimming pool of claim 1 wherein said last named means comprises a bottom rail to which the bottom of said vertical wall member is attached, and means attaching said hold down strips to said bottom rail.

3. The swimming pool of claim 2 wherein said bottom 5 rail is slotted and said hold down strips are inserted in said slots.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein outwardly extending braces for said vertical reinforcing members are located only along the fiat side wall portions of the pool.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein said last named means for operating the strips are above ground.

6. The combination of claim 4 wherein said braces for said vertical members and the means for operating said hold down strip are above ground.

7. The combination of claim 1 wherein a said hold down strip extends along a substantial portion of the length of each fiat side wall of the vertical wall member.

8. The combination of claim 1 wherein a said tie strap is located only between the opposing fiat side walls of the pool.

9. In the combination of claim 3 further comprising rigid strips inserted in the slots of said rail between said columns and said liner.

10. The combination of claim 1 wherein said operating means includes means for connecting said hold down strip to the reinforcing columns.

11. The combination of claim 10 further comprising a vertical reinforcing strip extending along the hold down strip and engaging the hold down strip.

12. The combination of claim 10 wherein there is a hold down strip along each of the flat side walls of the pool connected to the corresponding reinforcing columns.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,521,554 12/1929 Guenther 52-73 1,786,613 12/1930 Hooper 4172 2,595,633 5/1952 Black 52-656 2,870,491 1/ 1959 Vincent 52169 3,192,538 7/1965 Walter 4172 3,256,532 6/ 1966 Lindsey et a1. 4-172 3,225,362 12/ 1965 Barrera 4-172 3,233,251 2/1966 Barrera 4-172 FOREIGN PATENTS 767,621 2/1957 Great Britain. 396,351 1/ 1966 Switzerland.

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

H. K. ARTIS, Assistant Examiner. 

